UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State women's hockey will host two charity events in conjunction with games on the next two Fridays. The Nittany Lions will hold THON Night this Friday against No. 7 Mercyhurst (7 p.m.), while hosting Skate for the Cure on Friday, Feb. 8 against Lindenwood (2 p.m.).

The Nittany Lion women's hockey program will be collecting donations during its game against Mercyhurst this Friday at Greenberg Ice Pavilion. Aside from donations that fans can give, they can also bid on a special hockey jersey from the ECHL's Reading Royals. All proceeds from the auction will go directly to THON.

The gray jersey has the Royals logo on the front and the back has Penn State written above the No. 13 on the back. Reading hosted a THON Night on Jan. 5 in conjunction with the Penn State Berks County Alumni Chapter, which raised money for the Four Diamonds Fund and Penn State Dance Marathon. The Dance Marathon, held annually in February on Penn State's campus raises over $10 million dollars to aid research in the fight against pediatric cancer.

On Feb. 8, Penn State will take part in a conference-wide event for breast cancer awareness: Skate for the Cure. Penn State will collect funds at Greenberg Ice Pavilion for the 2 p.m. game against Lindenwood. The money raised for Skate for the Cure will benefit Penn State Milton S. Hershey Cancer Institute. Fans attending the game are also encouraged to wear pink.

All 2012-13 Penn State women's hockey games are free at Greenberg Ice Pavilion, which is located on McKean Road near East Area Locker Room and the Lasch Football Building.